JPH08174940A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To form an image having proper quality and precision with a simple structure by preventing generation of jam and conveying sound. CONSTITUTION: A holding section 2 for holding a material to be recorded 1 in a positioned state, a record means 3 for recording on the material to be printed 1 held by the holding section 2 in the horizontal scanning direction, and a drive means for moving the record means 3 in the vertical scanning direction of the material to be recorded 1 are provided. A control means is provided for controlling the record means 3 and the drive means so as to record on the material to be recorded 1 at the time when the record means 3 is conveyed to a recording position by the drive means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording device used for a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or an output device of a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-185661, a recording material disposed in a paper feeding cassette is conveyed while being adsorbed by a conveying means such as an electrostatic adsorption belt. Meanwhile, there is known an image recording apparatus configured to record an image by ejecting ink onto the recording material from an inkjet recording means or the like which is arranged so as to face the conveying means.

For example, in a serial scan type image recording apparatus that performs main scanning in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction), after the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, the recording material is recorded. An image is recorded by a recording unit mounted on a carriage that moves along the main scanning direction of the material, and the recording material is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the sub scanning direction by the conveying unit after the recording for one line is completed. After the positioning, the operation of recording the image of the next line on the recording material is repeated to record the image on the entire surface of the recording material.

[0004]

In the image recording apparatus having the above structure, it is necessary to alternately carry out the recording operation by the recording means and the conveyance of the recording material by the conveying means of the recording material. When the recording material is misaligned, the quality and accuracy of the image are deteriorated, a jam easily occurs, and noise is generated when the recording material is conveyed every time one line of recording is completed. There was a problem. Also,
Since the transporting means for positioning and transporting the recording material has to be installed at a position close to the installation part of the recording means, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to form an image of proper quality and accuracy while preventing jamming of a recording material and occurrence of conveyance noise with a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording device capable of performing the above.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A holding portion that holds the recording material in a positioned state, recording means that performs recording in the main scanning direction on the recording material held by this holding portion, and this recording means is moved in the sub-scanning direction of the recording material. A driving means, and a control means for controlling the recording means and the driving means so that the recording material is recorded when the recording means is conveyed to the recording position by the driving means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the holding portion for the recording material accommodates a plurality of recording materials, and the accommodation portion accommodates the accommodation material. Energizing means for urging the recording material toward the installation portion side of the recording means, and locking means for locking the side portion of the recording material to keep the distance between the recording material and the recording means at a constant value. And a discharging means for discharging the recording material in the housing portion where recording has been performed to the discharging portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink to the recording material is provided, and recording of the recording material held by the holding portion is performed. In the vicinity of the start position, a cap member that covers the ink discharge nozzle of the inkjet recording means is arranged.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the recording means is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction of the recording material by the driving means, and the recording material is held in the holding section by the recording means in the main scanning direction. By the recording of
An image is recorded on the entire surface of the recording material without moving the recording material.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, after the image is recorded on the recording material placed on the uppermost end of the holding portion, the recording material is discharged to the discharging portion by the discharging means. By doing so, a new recording material is positioned at the uppermost end, and the distance between the recording material and the recording means is maintained at a constant value by the locking means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the ink jet nozzle of the ink jet recording means is in a state where the ink jet recording means is located at the home position provided near the recording start position of the recording material during non-recording. Will be covered by the cap member.

[0012]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention. This image recording device is composed of a printer for recording character data or the like input from an image reading device (not shown), a holding portion 2 for holding a recording material 1 such as paper or a plastic film in a positioned state, and A recording unit 4 having an inkjet recording unit 3 for recording an image on the surface of the recording material 1 is provided.

The holding portion 2 is composed of a machine body frame having a housing portion 5 for housing a plurality of recording materials 1 in a stacked state, and is located near one end thereof, that is, at the home position of the ink jet recording means 3. A cap member 6 for covering the ink ejection nozzles formed on the lower surface of the ink jet recording means 3 and an elevating and lowering drive unit 7 such as an air cylinder for elevating and lowering the cap member 6 are arranged. A tank 8 is installed.

At the other end of the holding portion 2, a pair of left and right engaging claws 9 for preventing the double feeding of the recording material 1 at the time of discharging the recording material 1, and a pair of upper and lower discharging rollers 10. , A discharge portion for the recording material 1 including the discharge tray 11 is installed.

An elevating plate 12 on which the recording material 1 is placed is movably installed at the bottom of the accommodating portion 5, and four compression coils for urging the elevating plate 12 upward. A biasing member including a spring 13 is arranged on the lower surface of the corner portion of the elevating plate 12.

A cover 14 for covering the upper surface of the holding portion 2 is installed on the recording portion 4 so as to be openable and closable with a hinge portion (not shown) as a fulcrum, and a start switch for recording operation is provided on the upper surface of the cover 14. And the inkjet recording means 3
There is provided an operation panel 15 having a manual switch or the like for performing the discharge recovery operation, and a display panel 16 for displaying the operating state of the image recording apparatus.

The lower surface of the cover 14 is brought into contact with the upper surfaces of both side portions of the recording material 1 so that the recording material 1 and the ink jet recording means 3 have a constant distance therebetween. A locking means including a pair of left and right pressing plates 17 for locking both side portions of the material 1 is installed, and the ink jet recording means 3 is moved in the sub-scanning direction of the recording material 1, that is, the longitudinal direction of the recording material 1. Drive means 1 for moving to
8 is arranged on the inner side of the pressing plate 17.

A discharge drive roller 19 rotatably supported at the end of the pressing plate 17 located on the opposite side of the home position, and a rotation shaft 20 of the discharge drive roller 19.
Ejection means having an ejection drive motor 21 for rotationally driving is installed.

The ink jet recording means 3 discharges the ink supplied from the ink tank 8 through the ink supply tube 22 downward from the discharge nozzle, so that one line of the recording material 1 in the main scanning direction. It consists of a line-type recording head for recording. The ink supply tube 22 is formed of a flexible member such as a soft synthetic resin material, and the ink supply tube 22 is provided with a U-shaped curved portion 22a. The home position shown by the solid line is movably connected to the return position shown by the virtual line.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive means 18 drives the guide bar 23 slidably supporting one side portion of the ink jet recording means 3 and the other side portion of the ink jet recording means 3. A ball screw shaft 24 and a drive motor 25 that rotationally drives the ball screw shaft 24 are provided.

Then, by rotating the ball screw shaft 24 by the drive motor 25, the ink jet recording means 3 is screw-fed along the guide bar 23 and the ball screw shaft 24, and the cap member 6 is installed. The inkjet recording means 3 is configured to move in the sub-scanning direction between the home position and a return position located near the installation portion of the discharge drive roller 19.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the image recording apparatus is provided with a control means 26. The control unit 26 includes a drive unit control unit 27 that drives the drive motor 25 to move the inkjet recording unit 3, a recording unit control unit 28 that operates the inkjet recording unit 3 to eject ink, and An elevating control unit 29 that drives the elevating drive unit 7 to displace the cap member 6 up and down,
A discharge recovery control unit 31 that drives the discharge recovery unit 30 connected to the cap member 6 to recover the discharge of ink, and a discharge control unit 32 that operates the discharge drive motor 21 to rotate and drive the discharge drive roller 19. It is provided.

The drive means controller 27 is provided on the operation panel 1
When the start command signal was input from 5, it was confirmed that the inkjet recording means 3 was moved from the home position to the recording start position of the recording material 1 and that the inkjet recording means 3 reached the return position. At the time point, a control signal for moving the inkjet recording means 3 to the home position or the recording start position is output to the drive motor 25 of the drive means 18.

Further, the driving means control section 27, when it is confirmed that the ejection of ink has been completed in accordance with the output signal of the recording means control section 28, causes the ink jet recording means 3 to move to the next step, if necessary. It is configured to output a control signal for moving to the recording position.

The recording means control unit 28 confirms that the inkjet recording means 3 has reached the recording position in response to the output signal of the position detecting means 33, which is a holding meter for detecting the installation position of the inkjet recording means 3. When this is done, an operation command signal is output to the inkjet recording means 3.

The elevating controller 29 lowers the cap member 6 to the retracted position at the time when the start command signal is input from the operation panel 15, and the ink-jet in response to the output signal of the position detecting means 33. When it is confirmed that the recording unit 3 has reached the home position, a control signal for raising the cap member 6 to the covering position of the ink ejection nozzle is output to the elevation drive unit 7 as a drive command signal. Has been done.

Further, the ejection recovery control section 31 causes the ejection recovery means 30 to operate at the time when it is confirmed that the cap member 6 has risen to the covering position of the ink ejection nozzle in accordance with the output signal of the elevation control section 29. By operating the ink jet nozzle of the ink jet recording means 3 to generate a suction force, bubbles and foreign matters in the nozzle are sucked and led out to the discharge portion, and the meniscus formed at the tip of the nozzle is returned to a normal position. Is configured to let. The ejection recovery unit 30 may eject ink from all the nozzles of the inkjet recording unit 3 to prevent clogging of nozzles that are rarely used.

Further, the discharge control section 32 confirms that the ink jet recording means 3 has reached the return position in accordance with the output signal of the position detection means 33,
By outputting a control signal for operating the discharge drive motor 21, the discharge drive roller 19 is rotationally driven to guide the recording material 1 located at the upper end onto the discharge tray 11.

In the above structure, when the start switch of the operation panel 15 is turned on, the elevating and lowering drive unit 7 lowers the cap member 6 to the retracted position, and then the drive unit 18 moves the ink jet recording unit 3 to the home position. The position is moved to a preset recording start position or a recording start position designated by the operation panel 15.

When it is confirmed that the ink jet recording means 3 has reached the recording start position, the ink jet recording means 3 is operated to eject ink from the ink ejection nozzles provided on the lower surface,
An image of one line is recorded on the recording material 1 in the main scanning direction.

Then, while the ink jet recording means 3 is moved in the sub-scanning direction by the driving means 18, the image is recorded or the ink jet recording means 3 is used.
When it is confirmed that the inkjet recording means 3 has reached the return position in accordance with the output signal of the position detecting means 33, by alternately repeating the movement of the ink in the sub-scanning direction and the ink discharging operation, Discharge drive motor 2
1 is operated to eject the recording material 1, and it is determined whether or not the image recording operation is completed according to the input signal of the operation panel 15.

When it is confirmed that the image recording of the number of images input by the operation panel 15 is not completed, the driving means 18 moves the ink jet recording means 3 to the recording start position, and then the above-mentioned operation is performed. By repeating the process, an image is recorded on the new recording material 1.

When it is confirmed that the recording of the input number of images has been completed, the driving means 18 moves the ink jet recording means 3 to the home position, and the elevating drive section 7 is operated to operate the cap. After raising the member 6 to the covering position of the ink discharge nozzle,
The discharge recovery unit 30 is operated to execute the discharge recovery control.

As described above, the inkjet recording means 3 is moved in the sub-scanning direction of the recording material 1 held in the accommodating portion 5 of the holding portion 2, and the recording material 3 is moved by the inkjet recording means 3. The recording material 1 described above is configured to perform recording in the main scanning direction.
It is possible to print an image by ejecting ink over the entire surface without moving the.

Therefore, due to the occurrence of a slip when the recording material is conveyed, as in the case where the image is recorded by alternately conveying the recording material and moving the recording means. As a result, it is possible to record an image on the recording material 1 without causing problems such as deterioration of the quality and accuracy of the image and occurrence of jamming and noise accompanying the conveyance of the recording material.

Further, since it is not necessary to install a recording material conveying means for positioning and conveying the recording material near the installation portion of the ink jet recording means 3, the structure of the image recording apparatus can be simplified. In addition, when a jam of the recording material 1 occurs, this can be easily removed.

Further, as described above, the biasing member, which is composed of the compression coil spring 13 that biases the recording material 1 upward while accommodating the plurality of recording materials 1 in the storage portion 5 of the holding portion 2. When the recording medium 1 is provided, a new recording medium 1 is automatically installed at the recording position by discharging the recording medium 1 on which an image has been recorded onto the discharge tray 11 by the discharge drive roller 19. Therefore, it is possible to continuously record images with a simple configuration.

Further, there is provided a locking means composed of the pressing plate 17 for locking the side portion of the recording material 1 and maintaining the distance between the recording material 1 and the ink jet recording means 3 at a constant value. Therefore, although the plurality of recording materials 1 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 5 and images are continuously formed as described above, the recording material 1 and the ink jet recording means 3 are formed. It is possible to record a high-quality image with the ink ejected from the inkjet recording means 3 while maintaining an appropriate value for the interval between the and.

Further, in the above embodiment, the cap member 6 for covering the ink discharge nozzle formed on the ink jet recording means 3 is arranged at the home position, and the ink discharge nozzle is closed by the cap member 6 at the time of non-recording. With this configuration, it is possible to effectively prevent the ink from drying and also to effectively prevent the entry of foreign matter, bubbles, and the like into the ink ejection nozzle. Then, if necessary, the discharge recovery unit 30 connected to the cap member 6 is operated to generate a suction force in the ink discharge nozzle of the inkjet recording unit 3, thereby sucking and discharging bubbles and foreign matter in the nozzle. The meniscus formed on the tip of the nozzle can be returned to the normal position while being led out to the portion.

Further, since the cap member 6 is arranged near the recording start position of the recording material 1 held by the holding portion 2, the ink jet recording means 3 is moved from the home position to the recording start position at the start of the recording operation. It can be moved quickly, and the time required for the preparation operation for starting recording can be shortened.

In the above embodiment, the discharge driving roller 1
An example in which the cap member 6 is arranged on the side opposite to the installation position of 9 has been described, but as shown in FIG. 6, the cap member 34 is arranged above the discharge drive roller 19 and the support shaft 35 is used as a fulcrum. Inkjet recording means 3
A structure may be employed in which the recording position indicated by the solid line and the non-recording position indicated by the imaginary line are rotatably supported. Then, at the time of non-recording, by moving the inkjet recording means 3 to the installation side of the cap member 34 in a state where the inkjet recording means 3 is displaced to the non-recording position,
You may comprise so that an ink discharge nozzle may be covered.

In this case, the installation side of the cap member 34 is set as the recording start position for the recording material 1, and the ink jet recording means 3 is moved from this recording start position toward the opposite end while the image is formed. It is desirable to configure so as to record.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ink jet recording means 3 comprising a line type recording head for recording an image of one line in the main scanning direction of the recording material 1 by one recording operation.
Although the image recording apparatus having the above has been described, the configuration of the present invention is also applicable to the image recording apparatus having the recording unit including the serial type recording head that records the image while moving the recording unit in the main scanning direction of the recording material 1. Can be applied.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to an image recording apparatus having a wire dot type recording means, a laser beam recording means, and a thermal transfer recording means, and
The present invention is not limited to the sheet-shaped recording material, but can be applied to an image recording device that records an image on a block-shaped product, a notebook, or the like.

[0045]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the recording means for recording in the main scanning direction on the recording material held in the state of being positioned by the holding portion, and the recording means as a sub-device. A driving means for moving in the scanning direction is provided, and the driving means moves the recording means in the sub-scanning direction of the recording means, and the recording means records the recording material in the main scanning direction. An image can be recorded by ejecting ink over the entire surface of the recording material without moving it.

Therefore, as in the case where the image is recorded while the recording material is being conveyed, the quality and accuracy of the image due to the slip of the recording material, the jam caused by the conveyance of the recording material, and the like. An image can be recorded on a recording material without causing a problem such as noise. Moreover, since it is not necessary to install a conveying means for positioning and conveying the recording material in the vicinity of the installation portion of the recording means, the structure of the image recording apparatus can be simplified and a jam of the recording material can be prevented. If it occurs, there is an advantage that it can be easily removed.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the accommodating portion for accommodating a plurality of recording materials, the biasing member for biasing the recording material upward, and the side portion of the recording material are provided. Since the locking means for locking and keeping the distance between the recording material and the recording means at a constant value and the discharging means for discharging the recording material on which recording has been performed, the recording on which the image recording is completed By discharging the material to the discharging section by the discharging means, a new recording material can be automatically installed at the recording position, and images can be continuously recorded with a simple structure. There is an advantage that a high quality image can be recorded by this recording means while maintaining a proper distance from the recording means.

According to a third aspect of the invention, an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink onto the recording material is provided, and the ink jet recording means is provided near the recording start position of the recording material held by the holding portion. Since the cap member that covers the ink discharge nozzle is provided, by covering the ink discharge nozzle with the cap member at the time of non-recording, it is possible to effectively prevent the drying of the ink, and also to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the ink discharge nozzle. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the entry of bubbles and the like, and at the time of starting the recording operation, the inkjet recording means can be quickly moved from the installation position of the cap member to the recording start position. There is an advantage that the time required for can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a driving unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of control means.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording material 2 Holding part 3 Ink jet recording means 5 Storage part 6 Cap member 11 Discharge tray (discharging part) 13 Compression coil spring (biasing means) 17 Holding plate (locking means) 18 Driving means 19 Discharge driving roller (discharging) Means) 26 control means

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical display location B41J 2/13 13/10 B41J 3/04 104 D (72) Inventor Shizushi Kado Osaka City Central 1-28, Tamazo Ward, Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Kenichi Satake 1-2-2, 28 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Yumi Nakatsu, Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka 1-22 Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Baba 1-228 Tamazukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masayuki Ishii 1-chome, Chuzo-ku, Osaka 2-28 Mita Engineering Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshiko Uryu 1-2-28 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Mita Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A holding part for holding a recording material in a positioned state, a recording means for recording on the recording material held by the holding material in a main scanning direction, and a recording means for sub-recording the recording material. A driving means for moving in the scanning direction, and a control means for controlling the recording means and the driving means so that the recording material is recorded when the recording means is conveyed to the recording position by the driving means. An image recording device characterized by the above. 2. An accommodating section for accommodating a plurality of recording materials in a recording material holding section, and an urging means for urging the recording material accommodated in the accommodating section toward the recording section installation section side. And a locking means for locking the side portion of the recording material to keep the distance between the recording material and the recording means at a constant value, and the recording material in the accommodating portion where recording is performed to the discharging portion. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharging unit for leading out. 3. An ink jet recording means for ejecting ink onto a recording material is provided, and a cap member for covering an ink ejection nozzle of the ink jet recording means is provided in the vicinity of a recording start position of the recording material held by a holding portion. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is provided.